On January 12, 2007, Joshua Bell emerged from the Washington D.C. Metro and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket in the station. He was a young white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap, pretty nondescript. From a small case, he removed a violin; and placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money and began to play. Take a look (Play YouTube Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw)
For the next 45 minutes, Bell played Mozart and Schubert as over 1,000 people streamed by, most hardly taking notice. If they had paid attention, they might have recognized the young man as a world-renowned violinist. They also might have noted the violin he played – a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million. It was all part of a project arranged by The Washington Post, what they called “an experiment in context, perception, and priorities – as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste.” The Washington Post wanted to know, “In a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?”
Just three days earlier, Joshua Bell sold out Boston Symphony Hall, with ordinary seats going for $100. In the subway, Bell collected about $32 from the 27 people who stopped long enough to give a donation. (Gene Weingarten, “Pearls Before Breakfast,” The Washington Post, 4-10-07; www.PreachingToday.com)
On a particular day, over 2,000 years ago, God entered our banal world, but very few people hardly noticed Him. Even to this day, some might throw Him a tip, attend a Christmas Eve service, or put up a Nativity set, but do they really know who He is?
After all, when God became a man, He was born to a peasant girl and laid in a feeding trough. He wasn’t much to look at; but if we pay attention, we’ll find that He’s so much more than what He seems on the surface.
So who is this Jesus, whose birthday we celebrate tonight? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to John 1, John 1, where one of His followers who knew Him best describes who He is.
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (ESV)
Who is Jesus Christ? Well, He is none other than God Himself.
JESUS IS LORD!
He is the Sovereign King of the Universe, the God of all gods and the Lord of all Lords.
John calls Him “the Word” – o logos in the original Greek. It’s the term the Greeks used in John’s day to talk about the “Controlling Reason of the Universe.” They had many gods with many names, but the Supreme God, the Ultimate Intelligence of the Universe, they called o logos – the Word.
Jesus is the Word, the God of all gods, which means He is eternal. He has no beginning and no end. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning WAS the Word” – Not “In the beginning the Word came to be,” nor “In the beginning God created the Word.” NO! “In the beginning WAS the Word.” At the very beginning of time, the Word was already existing. Jesus had no beginning.
He is the eternal God, and He is equal with God. John 1:1 says, “The Word was WITH God.” Literally, “The Word was TOWARDS God”, or FACE TO FACE with Him. Jesus was not only WITH God in terms of being in the same place. He was WITH God on equal terms – in His face, so to speak.
Growing up in Maryland, I had many opportunities to visit Washington D.C. I especially enjoyed the White House and the Capital Building where you just might catch a glimpse of some of the most powerful people in the world! You can be in the same building “with” the President or “with” the Speaker of the House, but none of us could ever be “WITH” these men on equal terms. We were just tourists. No.
The only people who are WITH the president or WITH the Speaker are cabinet members, other representatives, and other senators. They make and enforce laws together. They walk together, sharing private conversations. They sit together as equals around the dinner table or in a conference room.
In the same way, Jesus is WITH God. He is NOT a tourist in the same place as God. He is WITH God on equal terms, and they are running the universe together.
Jesus is the eternal God. He is equal with God, and He is in His very essence God. John 1:1 says, “The Word was God” – very God of very God. Not “a god” like some claim, but THE God of the universe.
In fact, Jesus is the Creator God, the One who made everything there is.
John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (ESV)
Jesus made it all, not blind chance as some seem to think.
Michael Egnor is one who once thought this way. He is a leading brain surgeon, who after years of rigorous, scientific training was sure a scientific worldview was incompatible with any form of religion. Ironically, it was science itself that showed him how wrong he was.
Engor explained, “As a science major in college, I was steeped in Darwinian evolution, which seemed to demonstrate that life could be explained perfectly well by material mechanisms alone. There was no reason to invoke God.”
Over the years, Egnor rose to the top of his field. He was appointed professor and vice president of neurosurgery at Stony Brook University and became an award-winning brain surgeon. New York Magazine named him one of New York's best doctors.
One of his specialties is the treatment of hydrocephalus (“water on the brain”), and while developing a theory of blood flow to the brain, his research took a surprising turn. He realized the cranial system he was studying was like an ingeniously designed gadget. The filter that protects the delicate capillaries from the pulsating force of the heartbeat is a finely tuned mechanism like the vibration dampers widely used in engineering. “In fact,” Engor said, “most of what I needed to know was not in biology textbooks but in engineering textbooks.”
Eventually, Egnor realized that virtually all biological research operates on the presumption of design. That presumption led him to faith in a Designer and then to faith in Christ as the Designer of all things. (Nancy Pearcey, Finding Truth, David C. Cook, 2015; www.PreachingToday.com)
There is no question! Jesus is the eternal God, equal with God, and in His very essence, God. That baby lying in a manger is the Creator God Himself. Jesus is Lord, so bow down and worship Him. More than that…
JESUS IS LIGHT.
Jesus is the truth. He is the One who shines in all the dark places, dispelling deceit and bringing life.
John 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (ESV)
His light brings life! The ancients in John’s day believed that air, water, food and light were all necessary to sustain life. Well, in the Gospel of John, Jesus is all four of these things! He gives the “Breath of Life” in John 3 (John 3:8; 20:22). He is the “Water of Life” in John 4 (John 4:10, 13-14). He is the “Bread of Life” in John 6 (John 6:35ff). And here, He is the “Light of Life” (John 1:4).
John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (ESV)
Even a tiny flame will dispel the darkness. In the same way, the truth always wins out in the end, and Jesus is that truth. He overcomes the darkness of deceit. He conquers the lies of men and demons.
John 1:6-8 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. (ESV)
John was not the light, only a reflection of the light.
John 1:9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. (ESV)
Jesus came into the world, not so much to give light to everyone, but to shine on everyone. In other words, as the truth Jesus exposes the deceit in everyone’s heart. He brings to light the lies. He reveals the sins hidden deep within. That’s why so many reject Him.
John 1:10-11 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
The world did not acknowledge Him, and His own people did not accept Him.
John 1:12-13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (ESV)
The new birth is not a natural birth; it is a supernatural one. But it is only for those who receive Jesus. So, if you want a new life as a child of God, Welcome Jesus into your life. Receive the light of His presence, and let Him expose the sin in your heart.
Stephen Kingsley of Craigmont, Idaho, runs a carpet cleaning business in which he offers a special service for removing pet urine odors. To show potential customers their need for the service, he darkens the room and then turns on a powerful black light. The black light causes the urine crystals to glow brightly.
To the horror of the homeowner, every drop and dribble can be seen, not only on the carpet, but also on the walls, drapes, furniture, and even on the lamp shades. One homeowner begged him to shut off the light: “I can't bear to see anymore. I don't care what it costs. Please clean it up!” Another woman said, “I'll never be comfortable in my home again.”
The problem was there all the time, but it was invisible until the right light exposed it. Now, it would have been cruel for Kingsley to show his customers the extent of their problem, tell them “that’s too bad for you,” and walk away. No. He brought the light so that they might desperately want his cleaning services.
And that’s exactly why Christ came. He brought the light of His presence not to make you feel bad, but to expose the dirt so He can clean it up.
Please, let Him do that for you tonight. Stop trying to mask the pain and hide the sin. Instead, welcome Jesus into your life, and let Him clean you up. Let Him change you from the inside out, making you like Him.
That Baby in the manger is so much more than what He seems. He is Lord – Worship Him. He is Light – Welcome Him. And finally…
JESUS IS LOVE.
He is full of grace and truth. That is to say He wants to bless you unconditionally, not condemn you for breaking the law.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (ESV)
God became a man and literally “pitched His tent among us.” Some of His original followers saw the overwhelming brightness of His glory, but they also knew Him to be full of grace and truth. He was always honest, but He never condemned those who were honest about their own sin.
John 1:15 John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.” (ESV)
Even though Jesus was born six months after John, He existed long before John, because He is the eternal God! Think about that! The eternal God took on human flesh and became one of us!
Dr. Rachel Eckhardt from Berlin, Germany, uses an “Age Man Suit” to help her young medical students empathize with their elderly patients. The Age Man Suit has ear-protectors that stifle hearing, a yellow visor that blurs eyesight and makes it hard to distinguish colors, knee and elbow pads which stiffen the joints, a Kevlar-style vest which presses uncomfortably against the chest, and padded gloves. It’s has been custom-made to simulate the physical consequences of old age.
When Dr. Eckhardt straps the suit onto her med students, she tells them, “Welcome to old age.” She wants to turn these energetic, young people temporarily into “slow, creaking beings” with the hope that they will develop “a feeling for what it's like to be old.” Dr. Eckhardt says there is a huge disconnect between large sections of the medical profession and their elderly patients, as well as a desperate lack of doctors willing to go into geriatric medicine. (Kate Connolly, “Suit Lets Medical Students Experience Symptoms of Old Age,” The Guardian, 7-9-12; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s a good picture of what Jesus did when He lived among us. He did more than just enter our world as the Eternal God. He put on a limited, flawed, clunky human body suit, so He could truly empathize with us as He experienced our pain and our limitations. Jesus lived among us as one of us.
Then He lavished His grace upon us. He freely gave us what we didn’t deserve.
John 1:16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (ESV)
In other words, one undeserved blessing is scarcely used up when a fresh one is there to take its place. He lived among us to lavish His grace upon us.
John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (ESV)
Moses gave us the law which could only condemn us. Jesus gave us grace and truth which sets us free from our sin. You see, when Jesus came, He came to die on a cross for our sins. He came NOT to punish US for our sins, but to BE punished FOR our sins. He took our place on the cross, so God could bless us instead of condemn us.
A few years ago, Christian apologist John Dickson spoke on “The Wounds of God” at a university campus. After his speech, he opened the floor to questions from the audience, and immediately a young Muslim stood up and declared how preposterous it was to think that the Creator of the Universe would be subjected to the forces of his own creation – that he would have to eat, sleep, and go to the toilet, let alone die on a cross.
He argued with Dickson for ten minutes, insisting that the notion of God having wounds was illogical. How could the “Creator of Causes” be caused pain by a lesser entity? It didn’t make sense to him, and he considered it “outright blasphemy” as sated in the Koran.
Dickson said he had no argument that would convince the man otherwise. So he simply thanked the Muslim student for demonstrating the radical contrast between the god of the Koran and the God of the Bible. What Muslims denounce as blasphemy the Christian holds as precious: God has wounds. (John Dickson, If I Were God I'd End All Pain, Mathias Media, 2012, pp. 66-67; www.PreachingToday.com)
As Isaiah put it, “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Oh, what grace! Oh, what love! Jesus lived among us to lavish His grace upon us. And in that way, He explained God the Father to us.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (ESV)
Jesus shows us what God is like, because He is God Himself. Jesus is so much more than just a baby in a manger. He is Lord – Worship Him. He is Light – Welcome Him. And He is Love – Trust Him with your life.
A young woman was engaged to Mozart before he became famous. However, Mozart was short while other men were tall and handsome, so she broke off the engagement to marry someone else. Then, when the world began to recognize his musical genius, she regretted her decision. “I knew nothing of his genius,” she said. “I only saw him as a little man.”
My dear friends, Jesus is no little man.
